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Simply solar: Sharing lessons learned off-grid

By Peggy Platonos for the Sun-News

Posted:
01/24/2013 03:59:08 PM MST

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Asher Gelbart points out the modest photovoltaic unit which converts solar energy into electricity at his home in the Mimbres Valley. The unit generates about 600 watts of electricity enough to cover his basic household needs.

MIMBRES VALLEY — When Asher Gelbart gave up his job as an optical and imaging systems engineer in Tucson and moved to an off-the-grid house tucked away in the wilds of the Mimbres Valley, he expected to step instantly into a sustainable lifestyle. Seven years later, he laughs at that notion.

"Off-the-grid solar power was the tip of the iceberg," he said recently. "It was the beginning of a long process of retraining oneself, of learning to live with limited electricity, of weaning oneself from reliance on propane and other fossil fuels. Off-the-grid living creates a huge awareness of how energy is consumed, and it demands that we learn to make changes in how we use it."

Gelbart's "modest photovoltaic system" generates about 600 watts of electricity - enough to operate lights, computer, kitchen appliances, power tools, a washing machine, and a refrigerator that is actually a small chest freezer made energy-efficient by operating it at refrigerator-range temperatures.

Gelbart does not use the solar system to pump water from the well. Instead, he runs a gasoline-powered generator twice a month to pump water to a large tank located on the hill. The water is then gravity-fed down to the house, as needed.

He sells hand-built solar systems like the ones he has developed for himself, and he periodically gives workshops to teach people how to build their own.

"The systems I use are primarily passive, non-electric systems that are capturing solar energy to produce heat," he explained.

Most of these systems use materials that are neither difficult to find nor expensive. Often, recycled materials can be used.

For the dual-tank batch collector solar hot water system that will be the focus of a workshop Gelbart is giving at his home this weekend, the materials include salvaged water tanks and double-pane windows, as well as the wood and insulation needed to build an insulated box to "custom fit" the tanks and windows.

In the workshop, Gelbart will share tips on "efficient, safe, and freeze-resistant plumbing techniques and strategies." He will demonstrate "how to connect a batch collector to the existing hot water system in your house as a pre-heater or stand-alone system." And workshop participants will help with the construction and installation of a dual-tank batch collector solar hot water system at Gelbart's house.

Also included in the workshop will be a tour of Gelbart's property that includes examples of four different types of hand-built solar hot water systems. The simplicity of the systems is amazing. A coil of black polyethylene tubing on a corrugated metal roof provides hot water for a fully equipped outdoor summer kitchen. A much larger coil of black polyethylene tubing, nestled in an old satellite dish, provides enough hot water for several consecutive outdoor showers - except in the winter.

The systems for the outdoor hot tub and household batch collector solar hot water heating unit are somewhat more complex, but still relatively inexpensive to create.

"Everything I do can be part of a holistic, integrative lifestyle. It's all permaculture-based infrastructure," Gelbart said, adding with a smile, "I also call it low-tech. "Passive' is another word that goes along with it."

For the Solar Hot Air Collector Workshop that Gelbart will be giving on February 2 at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, materials will include recycled glass and sheet metal that can be incorporated into a safe, healthy and efficient unit that he describes as "an outdoor window," useful in places where an actual window is not possible or appropriate. Cool air from the house is drawn through a vent leading to the bottom of the unit. The air heats up as it rises over a sun-heated black sheet of metal encased in the "window" frame, and exits into the house through a vent at the top, which in turn draws more cool air into the bottom of the unit, to continue the process.

"It's a completely passive system. The circulation is accomplished by a natural thermo-siphoning process," Gelbart explained. "Cold air sinks. Hot air rises. And there is no plastic in the system, so no toxins are out-gassing from hot plastic and getting into the air in the house."

These systems are very inexpensive to construct, Gelbart says. "And they can pay for themselves in a single season by offsetting your normal winter heating bills for natural gas, propane or wood."

The Solar Hot Water Workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, at Gelbart's home in the Mimbres Valley. Cost is $15, which includes a vegetarian lunch. To reserve a spot, call Gelbart at (575) 574-7119 or email agelbart@gmail.com. If the workshop is full, Gelbert said he will put folks on a waiting list and may consider doing another one in the future if the interest is there.

The Solar Hot Air Collector Workshop at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, February 2. Cost is $5 to $20, on a sliding fee scale. To reserve a spot in that workshop, contact Jean Eisenhower at (575) 538-9540 or email hfhgilaregion@zianet.com.